Ancient Indian Education: An Inquiry into its Origin, Development, and Ideals c6.106

c6.106

In schools in Buddhist monasteries in Burma¹ the condition of affairs is very similar,² or, at least, was so before the introduction of Western ideas of education. When a boy is about eight or nine years of age he goes as a pupil to the monastery, which is open to all, rich and poor alike. He does not, however, become a novice until twelve or fifteen years of age, when it is the custom to assume the yellow robe of the monastic order at least for a short time. Some boys are boarders, others attend the monastery every day. The instruction begins by teaching a boy the letters of the alphabet written on a rough wooden slate. These he learns by shouting them out at the top of his voice. All the books which are learnt are religious ones, and the curriculum includes the learning of Pāli formulæ and prayers necessary for religious worship. The life and sayings of Buddha and the Jātakas are the chief elements of instruction. The pupils repeat their lessons word for word after their teacher, as they sit in rows before him, and chant after him all in the same key. The amount of secular learning, arithmetic, and so on, is of the most meagre possible description. Boys designated for a monastic life stay on permanently, but those intended for lay life leave at twelve years of age or even earlier. Nowadays many boys attend the government or mission schools, but they often go to the monastery first. Although the curriculum in the monastic schools is of such a meagre description, the educational opportunities which they have provided have led to a very high percentage of literacy amongst the male population of Burma, which is very much higher than in any province of British India.